Electric control terminal



July 10, 1956 ELECTRIC B.ANDER CONTROL TERMINAL Filed Nov. 1, 1954 AC'E MQ L TO MNN BURNER ROOM THERMOSTAT SAFETY 1-- PILIOT FROM GAS SUPPLY 2 I E? g! L i 5 15 j: .2 *2 L m, 1*5 '55 Mi 2'? :k' on I INVENTOR ERIC 9. ANDER ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice Patented July 10, 1956 ELECTRIC CONTROL TERMINAL Application November I, 1954, Serial No. 466,040

7 Claims. (Cl. 339-272) This invention relates to electrically operated control devices and, more particularly, to improvements in electric terminal blocks or connecting terminals for connecting the power unit of a control to two or more electric devices and a power source.

Electrically operated control devices of this general type are well known in the art, one of such devices being disclosed in a copending application of Eric B. Ander entitled Electromagnetic Actuators," Serial No. 358,933, and filed June 1, 1953. However, in the prior art electrically controlled devices which must be connected to more than one electric device and a power source, costly and bulky terminal blocks have been provided for enabling the device to be so connected.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, strong and relatively inexpensive terminal member for use on electrically operated devices such as those mentioned above.

Another object of the invention is to provide a terminal block or bracket or connector for an electrically operated device wherein two or more concentric-leads type of connectors are adapted to be electrically connected to the control.

Another object of the invention is to provide a terminal member for an electrically operated control adapted to provide quick attaching and detaching connections with other electric devices.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a terminal member for an electric device having two concentric lead connections for connecting said device in series with two other electric devices.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a terminal member for electric devices which provides for the connection of three concentric lead type of connectors for enabling said control device to be connected in parallel with one electric device and in series with two other electric devices.

Still further objects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a control device having the improved terminal member thereon, with a portion of the control device broken away, and other electric devices to which the control is to be connected shown schematically;

Figure 2 of the drawing is an elevational view of the control device with a portion thereof in cross-section taken along the line 2-2 in Figure 1 of the drawing; and

Figure 3 is a circuit diagram of the invention in a heating control system.

While it is deemed to be obvious that the invention could be applied to various types of valves, switches and other electrically operated devices, it is illustrated and will be described in connection with a diaphragm gas valve. The valve has an open tap body portion 10 with an inlet 11 and an outlet 12 and a plugged pilot outlet 13. A partition 14, between the inlet and outlet, terminates at its upper end in a valve seat 15 which is substantially in alignment with the upper edge of the body 10.

A flexible diaphragm 16, made of rubber or other suitable material, is clamped at its marginal edge to the upper edge of the body 10 by means of an upper casting 17, secured to the body 10 by means of bolts 10a and having a lower cavity 18 and an upper cavity 19 therein. A backing plate 20 is bolted to the upper surface of the diaphragm 16 to help bias the diaphragm into firm seating engagement with the valve seat 15 when gas under pres sure has been admitted to the cavity 18 above the diaphragm.

Mounted in the upper casting cavity 19 is a relay operated pilot valve (not shown) of the three-way type, which is well known in the diaphragm art. The coil of the relay is illustrated in the drawing and designated by the reference numeral 21 and the armature actuated by the coil is designated by the reference numeral 22. A cover 17a is secured to the casting 17 by means of bolts 171;.

A terminal bracket 23, of channel shape and made of electrically conductive material, such as steel, is secured to one side of the upper casting 17 by means of bolts 24 having contact heads 24a thereon and extending through laterally spaced openings 25 formed in the side wall of the casting l7 and through an insulation sleeve 26 extending through the hole 25 and screw threaded into a brass plate 27 on the inner side of the casting 17. The bracket is held in spaced relationship with respect to the casting 17 by means of insulation washers 28 and with respect to the heads 24a of the bolts 24 by means of insulation washers 28 and metallic washers 29. The plates 27 are held spaced from the inner surface or wall of chamber 19 by means of insulation washers 30. The upper end 31 and the lower end 32 of the coil 21 are connected one each to the ends of the plates 27.

The bracket 23 is U-shaped in cross section and has four threaded openings 33 therein, two of them in the outer leg of the bracket and in axial alignment with the bolts 24 and two of them in the bridging or base portion of the channel shaped bracket, with the axes thereof perpendicular to and intersecting the axes of the bolts 24.

The inner or lower end of the coil 21 is adapted to be connected to one side of a power source, such as a thermopile T, through lead wire 32, one plate 27 and the inner lead 34 of a conventional concentric-leads connector, said lead having a head 34h thereon which bears against the outer end of the head 24a on one bolt 24. The outer lead 35 of the connector connects the other side of the thermopile to the bracket 23 through a swivelled nut 36 screwthreaded into the threaded opening 33 and in clamping engagement with a flange 3511 on the end of the outer lead 35. The outer lead is insulated from the inner lead by means of an insulation sleeve 37 and an insulation washer 38 between the head 34h and the flange 35h.

A control device such as a safety pilot of the conventional manually-reset, valve type, is adapted to be electrically connected to the thermopile by having a similar concentric-lead connection extending from the side of the head 24:: of the same bolt 24, through the central lead 34a to the safety pilot and back through the outer lead 35a to the bracket 23 through another swivel clamping nut 36a.

The upper or outer end of the coil 21 is connected by lead 31 to the other plate 27 and the other bolt 24 in the same manner as the lower end of the coil is connected to the first mentioned bolt 24. The upper end of the coil is therefore adapted to be connected to a room thermostat by means of concentric leads having the central lead 34b thereof extend to the room thermostat and the outer lead 35b thereof extends from the room thermostat to the bracket 23 through a third swivelled clamping nut 36.

It may thus be seen that by making three simple threaded connections, it is possible to connect a safety pilot to the two sides of a thermopile and to connect a diaphragm valve and a room thermostat in series with the thermopile, in parallel relationship with the safety pilot.

Operation With the diaphragm valve, described above, installed in a heating system, with a safety pilot connected to a source of gas supply and to the inlet of the diaphragm valve and with a separate gas supply leading from the safety pilot to a pilot burner B and the outlet of the diaphragm connected to a main burner, the relay for the diaphragm valve is operably connected to the room thermostat and the Powerpile T through the two concentric-lead connectors as mentioned above and the safety pilot is connected through the concentric; lead connector to engage the same bolt head that the connector from the thermopile engages.

With this arrangement, the safety pilot, which is manually opened for starting purposes, will be constantly energized so long as a flame is present at the pilot burner of sufficient intensity to ignite the main burner. The energization of the diaphragm valve is controlled by the room thermostat inasmuch as the room thermostat is in series with the controller coil of the diaphragm valve and the thermopile and, therefore, the supply of gas to the main burner takes place only when there is a demand for heat by the room thermostat.

Should the pilot flame become extinguished, the coil in the diaphragm valve and the one in the safety pilot will become deenergized causing shut off of gas to both the main and the pilot burners.

While I have described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is deemed to be apparent to those skilled in the art that slight modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be determined solely from the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A control device comprising an electric connectorbracket for electrically connecting said device into a control system, said connector-bracket including a generally U-shaped channel member of electrically conductive material, said member having a pair of longitudinally spaced openings in one leg of the channel, a pair of headed bolts extending through said openings with the heads positioned within the channel of said member, said bolts being electrically insulated from said member and adapted to likewise be insulated from said control device, power means in said control device, means for connecting the inner ends of said bolt to said power means, said member also having at least three threaded holes therein with their central axes intersecting said bolt heads, each of said heads being intersected by the axis of at least one of said holes so that said power means may be connected to said heads and through concentric leads and terminals in electric parallel with one control device and in electric series with another control device.

2. An electric terminal bracket for electrically operated devices comprising a channel member of electrically conductive material and substantially U-shaped in cross section, said member having a pair of longitudinally spaced openings in one leg of the channel, a pair of headed bolts extending through said openings with the heads positioned within the channel, said bolts being electrically insulated from said member and adapted to likewise be insulated from a device upon which it may be mounted, said member also having at least three holes therein with their central axes intersecting said bolt heads, each of said heads being intersected by the axis of at least one of said holes so that a device on which the member is mounted may be connected to said heads and through concentric leads and terminals in electric parallel with one control device and in electric series with another control device.

3. An electric terminal connector for electrically operatcd devices comprising a member made of electrically conductive material and having a pair of longitudinally spaced openings therein, a pair of headed contacts extending through said openings with the heads positioned within the channel, said bolts being electrically insulated from said member and adapted to likewise be insulated ire-2n a device upon which it may be mounted, said member also having at least three threaded holes therein with their central axes intersecting said contact heads, each of said heads being intersected by the axis of at least one of said holes so that a device on which the member is mounted may be connected to said heads and through concentric leads and terminals in electric parallel with one control device and in electric series with another control device.

4. In combination, electrically operated control means, a housing enclosing said control means, a U-shaped terminal block on said housing having a pair of contact heads connected to said control means, a plurality of openings in said terminal block having their axes in alignment with said contact heads and at least two of said openings being aligned with one contact head for connecting an electrically operated device to a power source and one side of said control member to one side of said power source through concentric leads and terminals and at least one other of said openings being in alignment with said other contact head for connecting the other side of said control means to the other side of said power source through concentric leads and terminals.

5. In combination, electrically operated control means, a terminal bracket having a pair of contact heads connected to said control means, a plurality of threaded openings in said terminal member having their axes in alignment with said contact heads and at least two of said openings being aligned with one contact head for connecting an electrically operated device to a power source and one side of said control member to one side of said power source through concentric leads and terminals and at least one other of said openings being in alignment with said other contact head for connecting the other side of said control means to the other side of said power source through concentric leads and terminals.

6. In combination, electrically operated control means, a housing enclosing said control means, a terminal connector on said housing having a pair of contact heads con nected to said control means, a plurality of threaded openings in said terminal connector having their axes in alignment with said contact heads and at least one of said openings being aligned with one contact head for connecting one side of said control means to one side of a power source through concentric leads and at least one other of said openings being in alignment with said other contact head for connecting the other side of said control means to the other side of said power source through concentric leads.

7. Electrically operated control means comprising a terminal block having a pair of contact members con nected to control means, a plurality of openings in said terminal member having their axes in alignment with said contact members and at least two of said openings being aligned with one contact member for connecting an electrically operated device to a power source and one side of said control means to one side of said power source through concentric leads and terminals and at least one other of said openings being in alignment with said other contact head for connecting the other side of said control means to the other side of said power source through concentric leads and terminals.

No references cited. 

